Left: Jade Esteban Estrada; Right: Courtesy Photo / U.S. House of Representatives
Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores (left) and U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales are both in high profile runoff elections.
A pair of San Antonio-area incumbents — one Republican and one Democrat — face high-stakes races in Tuesday’s runoff elections.
Republican two-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales is defending his seat representing the 23rd District, which includes West San Antonio and a large chunk of South Texas after failing to land 50% of the vote in a five-way primary. He’s locked in a runoff with pro-gun rights YouTube personality Brandon Herrera, a political novice.
Although Gonzales has drawn high-profile endorsements, including that of Gov. Greg Abbott, he’s considered vulnerable after his censure last year by the Texas GOP over his vote in favor a bipartisan gun control measure passed in the wake of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, which lies in his district. He’s also staked out more moderate positions on immigration and gay marriage.
Herrera — who’s come under fire for inflammatory rhetoric on his YouTube channel — has pulled in donations from small donors and won the endorsement of the far-right House Freedom Caucus.
Meanwhile, Democrats will decide the fate of Precinct 1 Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores, who fell short of capturing a majority of votes her six-candidate primary. She faces off against Amanda Gonzalez, a former executive director of Blue Cares, a nonprofit that supports members of San Antonio’s police union.
Clay-Flores, who ousted an incumbent to win her seat in 2020, has outraised Gonzalez 7-to1 and has declined to debate her rival, according to a recent Express-News analysis.
However, Gonzalez has gathered support from neighborhood association leaders angry at Clay-Flores for her support of a South Side housing project for people experiencing homelessness, according to the San Antonio Report.
Tuesday’s election is the last chance to cast a ballot in either the Democrat or Republican runoff, since early voting has already passed. Voters can only cast ballots the runoff for the party in whose primary they voted.
Polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and more information is available from the Bexar County Elections Department.
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